1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator equipped with an ice maker that moves ice from an ice making recess using an ejector, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a refrigerator is an apparatus including parts constituting a freezing cycle to generate a cold air and refrigerate or freeze objects stored in the refrigerator by the cold air. In some refrigerators recently developed, a refrigerating chamber having a relatively higher frequency of use is disposed at an upper part of a refrigerator body while a freezing chamber having a relatively lower frequency of use is disposed at a lower part of the refrigerator body.
In addition, such a refrigerator is provided with a dispenser enabling a user to withdraw water and ice from the outside without having to open a door of the refrigerator. An ice maker is formed at one side of the refrigerating chamber to make ice to be withdrawn through the dispenser. Also, an ice feeder is formed at a lower part of the ice maker to store the ice made and supplied by the ice maker and feed the ice to the dispenser when withdrawal of the ice is required. An ice making chamber is partitioned from the refrigerating chamber by the existence of the ice feeder.
The ice maker includes an ice making tray in which water is supplied and frozen, an ejector rotated by an ice making motor which generates a rotative force to thereby separate the ice made in the ice making tray from the ice making tray, and an ice full state sensing lever pivotably mounted to one side of the ice making tray by one end thereof so as to determine an ice full state wherein an ice storage is filled with the ice by a predetermined quantity and suspend the operation of the ice maker if the ice storage is in the ice full state.
The ice feeder includes the ice storage receiving and storing the ice falling from the ice maker disposed above, being equipped with an outlet to discharge the ice to be withdrawn through the dispenser, and an auger having a screw form being rotatably mounted in the ice storage. The auger is rotated by a feeding motor that generates a rotative force, thereby feeding the ice toward the outlet.